Xiang Ru - 香薷 - Herba Moslae

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Herba Elscholtsiae Herba Moslae
Common English:	Aromatic Madder Mosla

Category

Herbs that Release the Exterior: Acrid, Warm Herbs that Release the Exterior (Wind-Cold Diaphoretics)

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Acrid Aromatic	Slightly Warm	Lung Stomach	3-10g Tincture: 1-3ml For exterior conditions, decoct only briefly.

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Expels Summeheat, Harmonizes the Spleen and Stomach, Induces sweating, Releases the Exterior, Transforms Dampness	Wind-Cold during the summer, especially when accompanied by Dampness with chills, fever, headache, anhidrosis, body aches, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting Externally contracted Summerheat or Dampness
Promotes urination and reduces swelling	Edema and urinary difficulty especially if associated with external invasion

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Sm. Lablab Album Bai Bian Dou	Sm. Lablab Album Bai Bian Dou Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po	Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao
Sudden turmoil disorder due to externally contracted Cold in the summertime	Exterior Cold and Interior Dampness presenting with fever, anhidrosis, headache, thirst, vomiting and diarrhea (frequently found in Summerheat-stroke)	Early stage Summerheat with superimposed contraction of Cold with fever, chills, anhidrosis, headache and a flushed face
Hb. Agastaches/Pogostemonis Huo Xiang	Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu	Rz. Imperatae Bai Mao Gen Hb. Leonuri Yi Mu Cao
Damp Summerheat with fever and chills, a feeling of constriction in the chest, vomiting and abdominal pain	Sudden turmoil disorder due to Spleen Dampness with Exterior Cold due to excessive intake of Cold or raw food and drinks Edema and dysuria due to accumulation of Cold-Damp General edema resulting from Wind invading the Lungs Summerheat affects the Spleen with nausea and anorexia	Edema with fever, anhidrosis, and dark, scanty urine
Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin Or Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian	Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao Hb. Menthae Bo He	Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po Rz. Zingiberis Recens Sheng Jiang
Reduces the vomiting if taken hot	Exterior Wind-Cold syndrome in the summer with fever, chills, thirst and no perspiration	Nausea and vomiting
Sm. Lablab Album Bai Bian Dou Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po Poria Fu Ling
Diarrhea

Notes

1. It expels Summer Heat (external) and resolves Dampness (internal) at the same time.
2. Keep it away from fire during storage.
3. It treats superficial conditions, particularly those affecting the Spleen and Stomach.
4. It helps stomach aches brought on by overindulgence in Cold drinks and alcohol.
5. Xiang Ru and Hb. Pogostemonis/Agastaches Huo Xiang are both used for Summer Heat, diarrhea, bloating and similar complaints. Huo Xiang leans toward harmonizing the Middle, while Xiang Ru leans toward releasing the surface.
6. According to some sources, this herb is astringent, stops diarrhea and moves Qi.
7. Its main use is for Cold damage during summer heat, whether from excessive cold food and drink or from taking refuge in over-air-conditioned spaces. It also treats Yin-type summerheat, in which exposure to external Cold combines with overconsumption of cold food and drinks, producing fever without sweating, headache, vomiting and diarrhea.
8. It can ascend and descend equally strongly, causing clear Qi to rise and turbid filth to descend.
9. Small doses should be used.
10. Further symptoms that call for Xiang Ru include steamy hot skin, aversion to Cold, headache, a heavy head, spontaneous sweating, restless thirst and sometimes abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Use it cautiously if sweating is already present.
11. Xiang Ru is sometimes known as the "Rx. Ephedrae Ma Huang of summer," since it is acrid and warm, induces sweating for Wind-Cold invasion and promotes urination. Xiang Ru assists the Yang Qi in throwing off the pathogenic Cold that traps it, while also harmonizing the Spleen and transforming Dampness. Ma Huang disperses and disseminates Lung Qi to relieve cough; its sweat-inducing and Cold-dispersing actions are stronger, and it vents the exterior directly through sweating instead of helping the Yang Qi to throw off or discharge the pathogenic Cold.